THE PHANTOM LIMBSApplied Ignorancevirus263 (2001)
LP - out of print | CD - out of print
Available only digitally from sites like eMusic, iTunes, Napster, and Amazon!

Alternative Tentacles, the label that has been re-defining what "punk" is for over 20 years has struck once again with The PHANTOM LIMBS on their debut album Applied Ignorance.

Jello Biafra thought they were the strangest band he had EVER seen at Gilman St. that the crowd went stark raving nuts for.

So how the hell do we describe this? We prefer not comparing them to other bands but we can't resist comparing them to a cross between the Screamers and Gilbert & Sullivan gone terribly wrong. Eerie, grinding keyboards mixed with driving bass, thundering drums, wall-of-sound guitar and frantic, desperate vocals.

The Phantom Limbs have subjected West Coast punk, goth, metal, and indie audiences alike to their psychosis with equal appreciation since the late 90's. Like a carnival sideshow, The Phantom Limbs thrive equally on the awe and anxiety of the crowd. Their music is a swirling amalgamation of old school punk, deathrock, and no wave mixed with the theatre songs of, say, Kurt Weil. Like so many of the great Alternative Tentacles' bands in the past they are a must-see live. Their live shows have become stuff of legend with singer Hopeless invariably naked or covered in grease paint, duct tape, wrapping paper or substances of unknown origin. Crowd interaction is mandatory, with Hopeless sometimes going so far as to handcuff himself to unsuspecting fans.

Their debut single has been a favorite not only on college radio, but among punk and deathrock DJs in clubs at home and in Europe.

Expatriates from Los Angeles, the members of The Phantom Limbs have previously lent their talents to such cult faves as The Boyscouts of Annihilation, Anal Kitties, Scurvy Dogs and Black Ice. They now find themselves quite at home among the run-down, piss soaked streets of Oakland.